Alumni News

Erin Denniston (M.Ed. ’04) named a statewide finalist for national teaching award

Feb. 4, 2007

Erin Denniston, a 2004 graduate of the School's Master of Education for Experienced Teachers program, has been named a state finalist for the 2006 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

McDougle teacher named a finalist for national award

Erin Denniston, a science teacher at McDougle Elementary School in Chapel Hill, has been named a state finalist for the 2006 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST), the nation’s highest honor for K-12 teaching in these fields.

Established by Congress in 1983, and administered for the White House by the National Science Foundation, the PAEMST program identifies outstanding mathematics and science teachers from each of the 50 states and four US jurisdictions. Each state and jurisdiction can select up to three mathematics teachers and three science teachers as state finalists. From this field of state finalists, a maximum of 108 Presidential Awardees are selected.

Recipients of the 2006 Presidential Awards will be announced during a week of celebratory events this spring in Washington, DC.

Denniston is one of three science North Carolina state finalists for the 2006 Presidential Award.

Celestine H. Pea, Ph.D., program director of Elementary, Secondary and Informal Education programs at the National Science Foundation, said the Presidential Awards honor outstanding teachers for their in helping the United States stay competitive globally in mathematics and science.

“Evaluation results show that teachers who receive the Presidential Award use that recognition, honor and award funds to grow professionally and to help improve teaching and learning of mathematics and science in their schools, districts and states by taking on the roles of leaders, mentors and scholars in their communities,” Pea said.

The 2006 Presidential Awardees teach kindergarten-6th grade. Nominations and applications are being accepted for 7-12th grade teachers for the 2007 Presidential Awards. Nomination forms and instructions are available at www.paemst.org.

Awardees will receive a citation signed by the president, a paid trip to Washington, D.C. to attend a weeklong series of recognition events and professional development opportunities and $10,000 from the National Science Foundation.